Murder case husband 'used gay site'

A spiritualist minister met a man via a gay sex chatline three days after he allegedly murdered his BBC TV make-up artist wife, a court has been told.

Adam Suddek told how David Chenery-Wickens, 51, came to the front door of his rural cottage dressed in a white towelling robe on January 25 last year.

Chenery-Wickens is accused of murdering his wife, Diane Chenery-Wickens, 48, three days earlier, on January 22, before dumping her corpse in woodland.

The prosecution alleges he killed her after Mrs Chenery-Wickens - who had worked on shows including Dead Ringers, The League of Gentlemen and Casualty - began to uncover his series of sexual and financial lies.

Lewes Crown Court was told Mr Suddek made the 40-minute journey from his home in Eastbourne, East Sussex, to Chenery-Wickens's cottage in Duddleswell, near Uckfield, after arranging to meet via the chatline for gay and bisexual people.

Mr Suddek told the jury: "I was going over to meet someone and see what happens next.

"We sat down, had a chat, he got me drink and put some porn on the telly.

"He said that his wife was a make-up artist and that she was away a lot and she was working away at the time.

"I think he said that he was going to get a divorce. We just sat on the sofa, had a drink and just talked about things."

Mr Suddek said that no sexual contact took place between him and Chenery-Wickens, who denies murder.